NaBloPoMo Advice Column: Day 7 - Listen to Your Friends: Updated video featured

I'm writing 30 thoughts in 30 days for NaBloPoMo. In no particular order, I'm giving you my worldview. I draw the topics from things that come up the day I post, or the day or two before I post.

It's been on the "to-do" list for date night for quite some time, but finally, this past summer, Ed and I made it to see local singer/songwriter Luke Brindley. He co-owns Jammin Java, a place where you can see kids' shows during the day, drink coffee any time at all, and see adult bands at night. I have to digress here to say that I have long complained about Jammin' Java being really cold, but at this particular show, there was an enormous storm going on, which caused total loss of power, and then some force (be it a generator or divine intervention I do not know) got the lights and sound back on, but not the AC. I thought I would melt, as did my concert companions. Ed claims to have been unaffected by the sweltering heat, but I think he just became delirious at some point.

The show featured several artists along with Brindley, including Stephen Kellogg. While listening to his music, I commented to my friend Krisi that I'd come back to hear Kellogg again, and she filed this away in her brain.

Fast forward to a couple of months ago when she emailed to see if I wanted to go see Stephen Kellogg at 9:30 Club - which is an awesome venue. Allow me to set the stage here. 9:30 Club is for young people. Ed and I have seen a number of concerts here, including one that was so packed I actually passed out. There is very little air at the 5 foot level. Of course, because it was so packed, I didn't actually fall to the ground when I passed out, more like I bounced from person to person and eventually lay beside Ed's feet. After coming to, I sat outside the club for a few minutes. Since that time, Ed and I have mostly stuck to what we affectionately term "the old people seats". This is the balcony, where there are wide risers you can stand on (or sit on, before the show). There's a lot more air available up there.

I actually did not remember seeing Stephen Kellogg, but Krisi kept assuring me that I did indeed like him, and another friend kept assuring me he was "easy on the eyes" and so eventually, I got around to hacking into Ed's ticketpro account and purchasing tickets to the show. Of course, when Ed asked me who we were seeing, all I knew is that we'd seen him at some point before and Krisi said we liked him. Ed was not convinced.

But then, Kellogg took to the stage during one of the openers, and lucky for my old brain, he was wearing the same plaid shirt he wore at Jammin Java and everything came back to me. Yes, I did like this man.

At the break between the opener, Krisi decided that standing in the back was not acceptable. Although I was tempted to stay at the back because of my earlier fainting incident which has me a little gun shy in crowds, I followed. As it turns out, this was a terrific choice.

We were standing about 15 rows from the front, I had an outstanding view, and I was loving life. Then, near the end of the show, Kellogg told the crowd he needed some help, and he handed his guitar to someone in the front row. And then he hopped off the stage and started walking right towards me. When he got to where I was standing, he said "oh, there's who I'm looking for" and I actually thought someone had fainted and he was going to help them out. The guy seems that nice. But no - a second glance would confirm that he was looking for someone with a milk crate, which would be turned into his impromptu stage, along with others for the rest of the band.

I still think I might have died and gone to heaven.

Ironically, my group was old people in a sea of the young. And what song did Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers sing? Shady Esperanto and the Young Hearts. The video is below, but the gist of the song is the chorus

"I got a young heart and I don't
wanna get..
old, I never wanna get old
You get old, I never wanna get old
I never wanna get old
I never wanna get old
I'm never gonna get old
I'm never gonna get old"
The irony was not lost on me, I assure you.

Here's an official version of the song:

And neither was the lesson lost on me. Even at the 9:30 Club, when you're prone to fainting and have long ago resigned yourself to the old people seats, it's important to Listen To Your Friends.

Here's the version featuring the back of my head.
Elaine

Building a worldview:
Day 1: Surround Yourself With Brilliant People (though my friend Susan makes a good point that clever is pretty good, too).
Day 2: Whatever, it works.
Day 3: Surround Yourself With Beauty
Day 4: When You Go Through Something New - Drag Someone With You
Day 5: No sweatpants.
Day 6: Embrace the Crazy